Rebecca Dunn – Sheffield, S8 01142747484

Anyone can do mindfulness practice. There are no barriers. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what your physical ability is, if you’re religious or not…

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. … When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.

Mindfulness decreases stress and psychological distress in adults and employees. It enhances mental health and functioning and increases emotion regulation and self-control.

Set aside some time. You don’t need a meditation cushion or bench, or any sort of special equipment to access your mindfulness skills—but you do need to set aside some time and space.

Observe the present moment as it is. The aim of mindfulness is not quieting the mind, or attempting to achieve a state of eternal calm. The goal is simple: we’re aiming to pay attention to the present moment, without judgement. Easier said than done, we know.

Let your judgments roll by. When we notice judgements arise during our practice, we can make a mental note of them, and let them pass.

Return to observing the present moment as it is. Our minds often get carried away in thought. That’s why mindfulness is the practice of returning, again and again, to the present moment.

The activities can be fitted into everyday life, the majority do not involve meditating and some may not have an obvious connection to what is commonly seen as mindfulness practice, but it is useful list nonetheless. You will find that instructions are short and easy to follow.

Lack of sleep seems to be linked to almost all the issues that clients come to me with. Depression and anxiety are two of the most common, with clients falling into a vicious cycle of one having a detrimental effect on the other, progressively getting worse.

Usually once the anxiety or depression is alleviated, the sleep patterns begin to return to normal. However, sometimes there seems to be no reason for disrupted sleep and it can become very frustrating, not knowing what to do about it for many people.

She has provided me with a great article on how to deal with sleep deprivation and so I have added her link for those that may benefit from it. We all need to pay attention to our sleep habits and our health really does benefit from getting a good night’s sleep!